‘Tron 3’ Adds Gillian Anderson & Evan Peters to Cast, Starts Filming
The Grid is getting an expansion after a thirteen-year wait with Jared Leto, Even Peters, and Gillian Anderson signed on to Tron 3.
The 1982 cult classic starred Jeff Bridges as software developer Kevin Flynn who gets sucked into a game while trying to hack into his former employer’s mainframe. While trapped in the Grid, Flynn has to participate in gladiatorial games in order to survive and have any hope for escape. Its special effects, created by ILM, were cutting-edge at the time. The movie didn’t do well in theatres when it was released in 1982, but it became a cult classic in part thanks to the advent of cable.
In 2010, Disney decided to resurrect the universe with slick state-of-the-art CG (again from ILM), the return of Bridges as Flynn, and a killer soundtrack from Daft Punk. Surprisingly, the sequel pulled over $400 million at the box office. Work on a sequel and an animated series started almost immediately. To fans’ disappointment, the movie never materialized and the series got canceled after a season.
Disney bought Marvel Studios in 2009 and put The Avengers out in 2012 (it made over $1.5b). Comic book movies took over theaters and audiences’ attention for the next decade.
That attention has been waning in the last few years. Box office numbers show that comic book movie fatigue has set in. Time to bring the classic sci-fi franchise back.
Tron 3 is Back Online
The project has been in various states of production and disintegration over the last thirteen years. Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski had written and storyboarded a sequel that would bring the Grid into the real world. He was ready to go around 2015, but priorities had changed.
Jared Leto signed on to star and produce in 2017. They were unable to secure a director, so it didn’t get off the ground. Production was scheduled for last year, but the strikes happened. Things just haven’t lined up. Until now.
Tron 3 is back on track with director Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales), and a script by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne.
Jared Leto is Ares, a video game character from The Grid that crosses over to Earth. The cast also includes Evan Peters, Cameron Monaghan (Gotham), and Sarah Desjardins (The Night Agent). Gillian Anderson, Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim), and Greta Lee (Past Lives) were recently added in unspecified roles.
Disney hasn’t released a debut date yet. Filming started last week.
